This invention is concerned with lithium battery cells, and the problem of battery malfunctions, overheating and thermal runaway of the batteries. In particular, the invention is concerned with containment of overheating within battery cells to contain the thermal runaway and fire from spreading.
Lithium ion batteries are in widespread use in consumer electronics with a progression into electric vehicles in both the US and overseas markets. In addition, usage of the ion batteries are currently being tested in contained power storage silos as backup power systems for residential and commercial structures, and as power storage for solar and wind-generated power.
With the increase in the size of battery packs including battery storage and use comes a high level of fire hazards associated with the lithium ion batteries both in storage and in use, as witnessed by recent events.
Over the last 4 years, the applicant has received inquiries as to any possible solution to help protect products from a lithium battery fire. The requests included protecting hover boards from burning due to fire resulting from a lithium battery fire. This has been regarding automotive use as well as solar energy storage.
Packages of lithium batteries are often shipped in cardboard boxes. The batteries often overheat and fail, which can be triggered by puncturing, violent movements, or heat outside the container, and can cause fire, ignite other packages during shipment and can lead to disaster.
There has been a need for a reliable way to ship and store lithium batteries, as well as to protect electric vehicles and power storage towers from uncontrolled damage due to lithium battery failures and fires.